The mother of the teen accused of killing a 4-year-old neighbor found the child dead in the clothes dryer of her Mendota home, according to a Fresno County Superior Court affidavit made public Thursday.
The affidavit also says Alex Christopher Mercado disappeared last Friday afternoon while his father took a shower. Alex's siblings were supposed to be taking care of the boy, but he left home without telling anyone where he was going.
The siblings thought he was going to a friend's house down the street, the affidavit said. But the friend's family told deputies he never arrived.
Sheriff's detective Glenn Falls wrote the affidavit to get a warrant to search the home of 14-year-old Raul Renato Castro, who has confessed to drowning Alex in a bath tub and hiding his body in the clothes dryer.
The document reveals new details about Alex's disappearance and the efforts to find him. It also contradicts earlier reports that the FBI and sheriff's officials found Alex's body in the dryer.
Castro is being confined in the Juvenile Justice Center campus south of Fresno. His bail is $2 million. According to court records, Castro said he killed Alex because the child was going to tell his mother that the teen had molested him.
The affidavit says the Sheriff's Office began searching for Alex after his father reported him missing about 4:30 p.m. last Friday. With help from Mendota police and the FBI, a massive search ensued. A flier with Alex's photograph also was distributed and searchers canvassed the neighborhood and surrounding areas.
The next day, a door-to-door search was conducted.
About 1:30 p.m., deputies contacted Raul's mother, Elsa Castro, who gave them permission to search her apartment, which is across the courtyard from Alex's home.
Before the search, Raul Castro left the apartment with a dog under each arm, the affidavit said.
Elsa Castro helped the deputies search her home. Deputy Matthew Hamilton said he saw Elsa Castro walk toward a clothes dryer. "She opened the dryer door and immediately began screaming," the affidavit said.
Hamilton looked inside the dryer and saw Alex's body.
The search warrant lists evidence collected from the Castro home. Among the items seized was Alex's red shirt, which was in the dryer. Detectives also collected Raul Castro's clothing, which possibly contained blood, the affidavit said.
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Report: Teen admits to slaying Mendota toddler
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